Fabric-hanging machine.



S. M. FORD.

FABRIC HANGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, I918. 1,290,955. Patented Jan. 14,1919.

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FABRIC HANGING MACHINE.

v I APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. (918. 7 1,290,955. Patented Jan.14,1919

WITNESS l/Vl/E/VTOR 551% za w //74/A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

STUART M. FORD, 015 BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE DUBATEXCOM- PANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. I

FABRIC-HANGIN G MACHINE.

' and will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich Figure 1 'is a diagrammatic side elevation; Fig. 2 a

plan view of a part of the machine, and Figs. 3 and 4: enlarged details.Similar reference numerals indicate similar parts in the several views.

.Heretofore the general practice has been to permit the rods supportingthe fabric festoons to drop over the ends of the rails to the floor asthe fabric was drawn from the rods. This dropping of the rods from aconsiderable height not only endangered theoperators, but frequentlyresulted in the bendin or breaking of the rods. To over come 51958objections to such practice, I have designed the present attachment bywhich the rods, as soon as the fabric is withdrawn from them, arelowered by means of a chain to a receptacle which may rest on the floorof the room.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designates a driven roll overwhich the fabric is drawn and allowed to fall into a loop between twoendless chains 2;- traveling in the direction indicated by the arrowsaround sprocket wheels 3 and 4', the power being applied to the wheels3. The wheels 4 are loosely mounted on a fixed shaft 1'. The chains 2are provided at regular intervals with projections fi adapted to pick upthe rods 6 from a magazine 7 so that as the rods travel upward they willcatch the fabric and carry it forward as indicated in Fig. 1. From'thechains 2 the rods are delivered to two chains 8 which travel aroundsprocket wheels 9 and 10, the upper runs of the chains 8 travelinginthe. grooves 11 of rails 12, said rails supporting the weight of therods and festoons of fabric. The power for drivin the chains 8 isapplied to the shaft 10' o the wheels 10, the. wheels 9 beingSpecification of Letters Patent. Patented J an, 14, 1919 Applicationfiled May 2,1918.

Serial No. 232,188.

loosely mounted on the fixed shaft 4, and the chains 8 are driven at arelatively slower speed than the chains 2 in order to-bring the festoonsclose together. At the rear end of the supporting rails 12 are rails 13inclined slightly upward from the front to the rear of the; machine sothat as the rods are moved back they will ride off the chains 8 onto therails 13 and bunch together, as shown in Fig. 1. This bunching of therods makes it unnecessary to time together the feeding into and thedrawing off of the fabric from the machine, and by reason of this it ispossible to use the present attachment which is independent of thedriving mechanism of the hanging machine.

The fabric 14 is taken from the rods 6 over a pin roll 15 fast on itsshaft, the latter also having a pulley orsprocket wheel 16 around-whichpasses a belt or chain 17, the latter also passing around a pulley orsprocket wheel 18 fast on its shaft 19. Also fast on shaft 19, as shownin Fig. 2, are two sprocket wheels 20 adapted to drive chains as theyare drawn by the fabric from the rails 13. The sprocket wheels 20 and 23are so related that the chains 21 have a short inclined run away fromthe rails and then a vertical run to the lower wheels 24, the rodsdropping from the hooks into a receptacle 25 as the chains pass underthe wheels 24. By inclining the chains 21 downward from the sprocketwheels 23 to the wheels 20 prevents a sudden jerk on the .fabric fromthrowing the rods 6 over the hooks 22 as might happen if the chains passvertically down from the wheels 23. This inclined run of the chains 21also insures the rods being in contact with a hook at both its endsbefore it makes the turn to the vertical run of the chains, otherwisethe rods would be apt to bounce ed the hooks in making the turn.

From the foregoing description it will be notedthat the power fordriving the rodloweiiing attachment is derived from the shaft" of pinroll 15 by drawing the fabric over said roll, so that the attachment is0p- 'erated' independently of the driving mech anism of the hangingmachine. One ad;

vantage in operating the attachment by the pulling off of the cloth isthat as the forward rod 6 is advancing toward the end of the rails 13,the pulling of the cloth will roll the rod so that both endssimultaneously engage the corresponding hooks 22 on the chains 21, thecloth advancing the rod faster than the movement of said chains so thatthe proper engagement of the rod with the hooks is always insured.

Another advantage is that the attachment is operated only while thefabric is being drawn from the machine so thatthere are no constantlymoving hooks on the chains 21 to catch one end of the rod at a time andthereby cause it to fall to the floor. This falling of the rodcannot-happen, while the fabric is being pulled from the machine as themoving fabric rolls the rod along the rails 13 until it engages hooks onboth chains 21.

Still another advantage in the present attachment is that no power isrequired to remove the fabric from the machine, as the weight of therods 6 on chains 21 overcomes the friction of the movingparts of themechanism.

What I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the'United Statesis 1. A fabric hanging machine having an attachment at its drawing-01fend comprising a rod receiving and conveying mechanism, and means formoving said, mechanism independently of the driving mechanism of themachine.

2. A fabric hanging machine having an attachment at its drawing-off endcomprising rod-receiving members, chains to which said members areattached, and means for moving said chains independently of the drivingmechanism of the machine.

3. A fabric hanging machine having an attachment at its drawing-off endcomprising chains having means thereon to receive the rods, and adriving mechanism for said chains controlled by the fabric.

4:. A fabric hanging machine having an attachment at its drawing-off endcomprising members adapted to receive the rods as they are drawn forwardby,the fabric, and a driving mechanism for said members controlled bythe movement of the fabric.

5. A fabric hanging machine having anattachment at its drawing-off endcomprising members adapted to receive the rods as they are drawn forwardby the fabric, chains to which said members are attached, and meanscontrolled by the fabric for movingsaid chains.

6. A fabric hanging machine having an attachment at its drawing-off endcomprising members adapted to receive the rods as they are drawn off bythe fabric, chains to which said members are attached, sprocket wheelsaround which said chains pass, said sprocket wheels being so arranged asto provide an inclined run for the chains, and mechanism controlled bythe fabric for driving said chains. f

In testimony w ereof I have hereunto signed my name in he presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

STUART M. FORD.

Witnesses:

' EDWIN P. FORD,

CHARLES F. BROWN.

